Pride of the past shines from the face of an old woman at Mandishain the Bahariya
Oasis (above). Serene despiteflies, she wears marks of beauty: a qatrah,or gold nose
pendant,and a chin tattoo. Such ornamentation,of southern Saharanorigin,is now
spurned by the young as an anachronism.
Despite sweltering heat, a dwelling in El Qasr (right) remains 20 to 30 degrees
cooler on the inside. Its mud-brick structureserves as an insulator.Perforatedshutters
allow breezes to circulate-anddwellers to see without being seen.
204
NationalGeographic,February1982